R.O'Keefe: Lenin has done nothing but harm Russia

I don't read Russian news very often, and I am wondering what Mr. Solzhenitsyn is doing these days. He is not only a great writer, but a great human being. I think his books should be mandatory reading for every high school student in Europe, and particularly in Russia so that the terrible past will not be repeated. I agree with Mr. Solzhenitsyn that Russian farmers should be able to buy land. That is the best way to ensure agricultural success. I also agree with him that Russia owes an apology to the neighbors she occupied and brutalized during the Soviet regime. Such a gesture would improve relations with neighbors, and finally set Russia free to pursue a future completely apart from the horrors of the Soviet times. Mr. Solzhenitsyn is also correct in stating that "Lenin and Stalin were cut from the same cloth from the beginning" and that Lenin has done nothing but harm Russia. But from what I read in your paper, it seems as though many Russians are proud of the Soviet past and wish it weren't gone, despite the fact that many millions of good, educated and decent Russians were killed by this regime. These victims and their descendants would have had a great impact today for the betterment of Russia.

R. O'Keefe USA